5 easy healthy living tips

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Olivia Caridi, former "Bachelor" contestant and lifestyle/health expert, has five tips for healthier living.

1. Stop Dieting!

I spent so much time with fad diets telling me to cut carbs, then cut fat, even foods that start with a certain letter. The easiest way to lose weight is to stop dieting and focus on eating clean. It’s all about eating intuitively, not about depriving yourself of your favorite foods. The more you deprive yourself of a food, the more you’ll crave it. Instead, look for healthy alternatives (like kale chips instead of potato chips) and you’ll start to see a difference. You might even start craving healthier foods!

2. Do More Than Cardio!

You need a mix of resistance or weight training to stay healthy and lose weight – running on a treadmill is not enough. Cardio exercise alone will not burn fat –- and you won’t come out of the gym looking manly if you lift some weights. To burn the maximum amount of body fat, you need to focus on nutrition and weight training. But don’t just rely on the elliptical or cycling, because it’s much lower intensity and it isn’t as great for long-term weight loss.

3. Sleep!

I know it’s fun to stay up late and watch your favorite late night shows, but if you’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not getting at least seven hours of sleep. Set a goal time to be in bed and ready to fall asleep and record your shows to watch the next day, instead. Sleep helps your brain work properly and prepare for the next day, and studies show that your brain without the proper amount of sleep is slower to make decisions and solve problems. Getting enough sleep lowers your stress, sharpens your memory, and reduces food cravings!

4. Protect Your Skin From The Sun!

I know the sun isn’t always around in New York City, but even when the sun isn’t out, it’s still projecting harmful UV rays that are damaging your skin. Don’t ever neglect sunscreen if you want to have beautiful, healthy skin for a long time. Try a lightweight sunblock or even makeup with SPF in it if you want to keep yourself looking young. You won’t regret wearing sunscreen when you look at people 20 years from now with sun-damaged skin! Let’s face it, we don’t want wrinkled, premature aging skin.

5. Drink Water!

I carry bottled water with me everywhere I go! Drinking enough water maintains your body’s fluid balance and it helps with weight loss as well because it helps you feel full. It fuels your muscles and clears your skin because it flushes out toxins and reduces the risk of pimples. It helps with digestion and keeps things moving, boosts productivity, and is even a fatigue buster to help those dry, inflamed eyes in the morning!